Ankara

Ankara, also known as Angora or Ancyra, is the capital of Turkey. The city was founded by the Phrygians in 1000 BC following the destruction of their capital Gordion by an earthquake, and it later came under Lydian, Persian, and Macedonian rule. In 300 BC, Greeks from Pontus developed the city as a trading center for the commerce of goods between the Black Sea ports and Crimea to the north, Assyria, Cyprus, and Lebanon to the south, and Georgia, Armenia, and Persia to the east. Around the same time, it became known as "Ancyra", meaning "anchor" in Greek. In 278 BC, the Celtic Galatians occupied central Anatolia and made Ancyra one of their main tribal centers. The Celts formed a warrior aristocracy which ruled over the Phrygian peasants, and Celtic rule was later replaced by Roman rule. In 25 BC, Emperor Augustus made Ancyra the capital of the Roman province of Galatia. During the prime of the Roman Empire, Ancyra had a population of 200,000 people.